Just Kids
by Mattydapro
Summary: A waffy oneshot I wrote during a particularly boring chemistry lesson. A bit OOC


"I guess we are just kids after all"  
Shinji was shocked.  
He had never once heard Asuka refer to herself as a kid.  
Shinji craned his neck over the back of the couch to look at her.  
She had been lethargic ever since she came out of the coma. Shinji had expected that she'd been depressed but never had he expected her to call herself a child. The entire time he'd known her she had always referred to herself as an adult.  
Shinji slumped back into his chair at the kitchen table. Looking into the living room, he thought about how he could illicit a reaction from her. He didn't like it when she was angry, but when she was like this, Shinji hated it more than anything else.

Shinji walked over to the couch and sat down on the floor in front of Asuka's feet.  
"We aren't kids" Shinji heard Asuka shift her weight on the couch.  
"What?"  
Shinji slid himself onto the newly freed cushion and looked at Asuka.  
"We aren't kids. If we were kids we would be at home with our parents, doing homework and poking fun at each other over stupid video games."  
Shinji breathed in deeply and started talking again.  
"If we were kids we wouldn't be risking our lives fighting the angels. We wouldn't have gone through all of this stress and torturous training. We're adults. Maybe not legally, and maybe not in the eyes of the public, but we are adults." Asuka's eyes widened. Tears formed at the edge of her eyes. Shinji watched as Asuka slid across the couch closer to him. She gently rested her head on his shoulder.

Without thinking, Shinji slid his arm around her waist and continued to stare at the blank TV as Asuka fell asleep beside him.

Misato arrived home late that night. Groggily walking into the living room she was surprised by what she saw.  
Asuka curled up underneath Shinji's arm, both sleeping peacefully with small smiles on their faces. As Misato continued to watch the two sleep, she became less and less surprised. She knew how the two looked at each other when the other wasn't looking. She remembered how their eyes would linger at the doorframe for just a second longer when the other would leave the room. She remembered how Shinji would murmur Asuka's name in his sleep following the battle against the 7th angel. She remembered Asuka watching the bathroom door out of the corner of her eyes in hope of seeing Shinji's towel clad form.  
The two said they hated each other. But they were in love. They just hadn't realized it yet.

The next morning Misato left early, the only evidence that she had been home that night being the cryptic note she left on the fridge.  
"Don't worry about school today, I figure you two could do without the distraction"  
Shinji put the note down on the kitchen table, confused. He couldn't remember the events of the previous night very well. He could remember briefly talking to Asuka, and then waking up on the couch in the morning.  
He had tried to talk to Asuka, but she simply stared at him before running off to the shower. He couldn't recall a moment in his life where he was more confused.  
Shinji glanced up at the clock on the wall before flicking his eyes towards the bathroom door.  
'_She should be coming out about now_' Just as he had predicted, Asuka stepped out the door and dashed to her room.  
Shinji sighed to himself.  
'_I wonder what happened last night._'  
He took extra time making breakfast that morning. He kept thinking that Asuka was getting annoyed at him, but she had barely spoken to him, just a few brief words about being glad that she didn't have to go to school.  
Shinji was nearing the end of the dish he was making. It was a recipe he was unfamiliar with, but Kaji assured him that if he ever wanted Asuka to do something for him to just make her some.  
Shinji turned around and place the last pancake on top of the stack. He called out to Asuka, watching her sapphire eyes brighten as she entered the kitchen.  
"Pancakes… Why?" Asuka took her place at the table and continued eye contact with the stack of pancakes in front of her.  
"I want you to tell me what happened last night" Shinji took his apron off and sat opposite Asuka.  
Asuka's face immediately turned a bright shade of crimson, before she managed to speak.  
"I was in a bad mood. And you cheered me up" Shinji could hear the uncertainty in her voice. But it wasn't like she was lying. It's like she wasn't entirely sure of what happened herself.  
Shinji reached out with a fork and grabbed the pancake on top of the stack before turning his attention back to Asuka.  
"And how on Earth did I manage that?" Asuka did the same before looking up at Shinji and staring straight into his eyes.  
She ate a large chunk of the pancake before reciting to Shinji exactly what had happened the night before.  
"So… Yeah" Asuka still looked very nervous as she finished the last of her pancakes. She watched Shinji go deep into thought before he stood up.  
Taking a deep breath, Shinji walked over to Asuka.  
"I'm inclined to believe every word you said Asuka. But I'm just not sure if I would have acted like that. It just doesn't seem like something I would do" Shinji leaned on the edge of the table looking down at Asuka.  
"You're right. It didn't seem like something you would do. But it was definitely you who said those things. It was definitely you who cheered me up. And it was definitely you whose arms I fell asleep in last night." Shinji's eyes widened in shock. Asuka had neglected to reveal that fact when she had explained the events earlier.  
"So you slept in my arms? On the couch?" Asuka blushed deeply.  
"Y… Yes. And it was the best I'd slept in a long time" Asuka stood up with such force that it sent the chair flying back into the wall.  
Shinji only had time to open his mouth before Asuka pulled him into a deep hug. She squeezed him tightly and cried into his shoulder. Shinji wasn't quite sure how to react. He instead just stood awkwardly while Asuka cried into his shoulder. When she was finished, she pushed herself away from him and stared into his brown eyes once more.  
"W… Why?" Shinji's voice was low, it was as if he was afraid of breaking the moment by talking normally.  
Asuka smiled. She put her arms around Shinji once more, but instead pulled his head closer to hers. She gently pressed her lips against his before pulling him once again into a gentle hug.  
"You're an idiot Shinji" She pushed herself away from him just enough that she could look into his eyes.  
"But you're my idiot" Shinji smiled once again. He pulled her close to him, nuzzling his head into her soft, strawberry scented hair. Asuka let out a small coo in response to Shinji's display of affection.

**A/N: I'm not entirely happy with the end of this one.  
I'd like some way to end it, but I can't think of one.  
Oh well, maybe someone will give me some idea of how to end it.**


End file.
